Hope's Destiny
by Counterfeiting Shakespeare
Summary: The woman known as the Light of Hope is now the most powerful entity in the known universe. Now, Serenity must fulfill her final destiny, and let go of everything she holds dear. Including the love that defied the laws of the immortal lords of Elysium...
1. chapter 1

Reposting. Reason is that it needed major editing. /blushes/

**Story Summary:**

One day, when the world of man was finally ruled but a just and noble queen, a heart weary of guilt decided to alter the past. With the help the a Heartstone called the Silver Crystal, Queen Serenity, reincarnated daughter of the Lunar Titan Selene, it came to be that the Loom of Life was destroyed and a new one woven in it's place.

Only those who were God-Born were allowed to remember what was.

The mortals that were originally the heroes of the old tales were given new lives. Including the man that Serenity loved for three life spans, the High King Endymion. And always she said to herself that she did not regret this choice.

But Love, one of the First Born stirred at this betrayal. Many a times it was Love that helped Serenity in her greatest battles. And with Chaos still living deep in the Forgotten Queen's heart, Love found Itself an ally to return everything to its rightful place.

Love will never be denied. Not even by the one they once called Sailor Moon.

**Theme: **Canon Storyline Sailor Moon (Manga and anime by Naoko Takeuchi) _with an AU twist. _Mythology. Fan fiction. No copyright infringement intended.

**Setting: **Neo-Crystal Tokyo _after_ Serenity altered the past.

**Original Beta Readers: **lyss-ling_ and _true winolo_._

**Note from the author:**

It's been almost a year since I updated any of my stories. I started fan fiction two years ago and have enjoyed immensely the many reviews people send to me when they read my work. It's a great feeling and I urge people who read other fan fictions to review. Writers need all the encouragement they can get. As well as criticisms.

I encountered some personal problems that I won't bother you guys with. I just wanted to explain why I went AWOL on everyone. Including friends I've made while posting stories on-line. Namely, aimee-hime, Lady Katherine, lyss-ling. And I also just disappeared on a few people and really feel horrible about it. I'll try to rebuild the trust. More than anything, you see, I treasure your friendship. In my absence, I also received a couple of private messages from other people and I wanted to thank you guys for that. It felt great knowing you've been missed.

I'm at lost how to continue "One Day of Serenity" (and my other stories) not because I lost muse or have forgotten the storyline but because my writing has changed a lot since I first started. So, to those waiting for the next update for those stories, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer. I'm starting from scratch, much like what I did here with "Hope's Destiny".

Let's hope I don't destroy it. Wish me luck!

* * *

**Hope's Destiny**

**Prologue:**

* * *

"Well," she whispered, so softly only she really heard it. "Hell."

There was laughter after that. Apparently she spoke loud enough to be heard, after all.

Setsuna, garbed in her warrior suit, looked longingly at her Queen. The girl from the Lunar Kingdom stared back at her, with just a slight hint of sadness. It took all the Time Guardian's strength to stop her tears from flowing. Life had not been easy on the lunar child; as the Princess Serenity, as the hapless schoolgirl Tsukino Usagi, and as Neo Queen Serenity.

Many would argue, of course. Many would claim how blessed the life the girl has. Certainly the beauty she possessed was reason to be thankful. But Setsuna was witness to the curse of such a lovely face and knew Serenity wished differently at times. Some other girl's reflection looking at her from the mirror. Some other girl's destiny to live up to.

It could not be helped; the tears fell. Hot, it left wet scars on her ageless face.

She cried not because there was no hope…but because there was hope.

In the form of Queen Serenity.

The Guardian and Soul Bearer of the god Pluto still refused to believe the denseness of her fellow warriors. Even her King, with his link to the precious Queen, was ignorant of what was taking place. But, Serenity said it best in her guise as Tsukino Usagi; "Dreams are important and must be protected at all cost.". It didn't hurt that the the blonde that everyone dismissed as clueless slowly mastered her control of the crystal and her own power as the Light of Hope without anyone being aware of it. That, too, was an act of stupidity on everyone's part.

A child she may have been, but even before Chaos, the hopeless klutz that everyone knew to be the incarnation of the lunar princess was alone when she defeated her enemies. Something not even her mother, Queen Selene, was able to do. Though the Warriors of the Moon Princess believed that they lent their strength to the child in those crucial times of battle, Setsuna knew otherwise.

The fact that they were dead should have clued them in that they could not have offered any form of help to Sailor Moon in battles past. What little help they gave was merely Usagi's manifestation of what they would say to her as she tried to vanquish the enemy. The sadness of losing her friends was the fuel to the poor child's need to destroy the opponent.

They should have realized how strong Usagi was. Did they not travel to the future, during the conquering of Prince Demando? Did they not see the splendid kingdom, that even in ruin, showed a ruler of incredible power? Did they not realize then just what sort of magick Usagi wielded in her hands? How could they have dismissed such awesome demonstration?

"You cannot stop me, much less delay me. Besides, you must obey. It is your duty to obey."

That hurt. For Serenity to openly state that she was both not powerful enough and does not have the right to fight the Queen's decision hurt.

It hurt enough that she almost broke her Blood Oath. She wanted to. She needed to. It was the only way she could protect Tsukino Usagi. Serenity may be her queen, but Usagi was her friend. She was the only girl who managed to find a way through her indifference and made her realize that she was more than just a soldier with duties to perform.

What was so galling was that Usagi did not want to be protected. Because Usagi is Serenity.

'_But what if …?__'_

Her Queen sensed her thoughts. Just another proof that the woman's power now reached a level never imagined before. "I am still she, Death Keeper." The voice was calm. The voice of a sixteen years old. Yet for all its child like tone, there was in it laced a hint of weariness; a voice burdened of life's knowledge.

Setsuna's own voice possessed the same tone. Ageless and all knowing in a way none of the other Senshi would ever sound. Soon, her voice would loss that weariness, compliments of the Queen.

'_It isn__'__t fair. Why should not one of us share her burden? Why must she take it all in her hands?__'_

Amusement laced with bitterness was in the silver one's voice. "Why not, warrior? I am fully capable of holding the evil at bay on my own now. The existence of Guardians would be a mockery." She moved a bit closer and Setsuna braced for the attack. Serenity raised a sculpted brow and halted her advance. She did not want a fight with Pluto. The Gate Keeper would lose; it would be a waste of time. "Unlike Galaxia, my conceit isn't great that I would need minions to do my biddings and shower me with respect." Her statement was without a hint of arrogance. Serenity was stating a fact. She was who she was.

"It doesn't make it right!" Setsuna's answer was ripped from her soul. She bit her tongue from saying more. She so wanted to lash out.

"It is right." A perceptible sigh. "And you know it is. Besides, it is impolite to turn down a gift."

But the Guardian of Time refused to listen to her reason. "This is no gift. Serenity, this is exile!" Her face showed panic. "Allow me to serve you! If no one else, then let me stay! How could you take away my honour - all our honour - like this! Do you not care that you condemn us and prove how incapable we have become with what you are doing!"

No sooner spoken that she attacked the queen, hoping to delay what was going to happen. Setsuna whirled towards Serenity. Her hand gripped her glaive, her black hair whipped about her at her abrupt movement. She didn't even bother saying her incantations. A surprise attack was what she did instead; she didn't't want to give the woman any chance to realize what she was going to do. She struck fast, targeting Serenity's midsection, but her staff met air.

She knew with a warrior's sense that the queen was right behind her. She recalled with horror the fact that Hotaro, the most powerful of the Guardians, also failed in disabling the queen.

When she first saw what happened, she was confused and unsure what it all meant. The mirrors of the portals acted like reflections of what took place, what was taking place, and what shall take place. One moment she was gazing passively at the images of everyday lives, her own attention directed to an image of Small Lady playing hide and seek with her father, King Endymion. Then, a cloudy haze came over the surface of the mirrors. When it cleared the portals revealed Serenity with her Guardians.

It was Neptune whom she first disabled, and then she lured Minako alone. The next revealed Rei's face, proud and fierce, and later, the tear stricken Ami. Haruka and Makoto, both in Senshi form, were dealt with at the same time. The two did their best to not harm the queen when they fought her decision. They should have tried to hurt her, for together, they might have won. Alas, both Haruka and Makoto loved Serenity too much. In fact, Haruka, before she closed her eyes, whispered to her queen that she forgave her, whatever it was she was doing.

Hotaro was the last of the senshi to be 'gifted' her release. She fought bravely, lasting longer than Haruka and Makoto, but in the end even she was no match against the queen's power.

Luna and Artemis, loyal to the core, watched sadly as it happened. The white Spirit Guardian kept silent even when Venus was placed in deep sleep, though he cried openly at the woman's prone figure thereafter. After Hotaro, Serenity gave them each a kiss – first Artemis, then Luna - and they slowly vanished from sight.

All this was revealed to Sailor Pluto in a blink of an eye, each door of the portal a monitor that she watched at the same time. In truth, it took Serenity five days to strip her Scouts their powers.

Now, only Setsuna remembered the oaths of duty. And it was now her turn to forget them.

Serenity held out her hand, and Setsuna found she was incapable of movements. The senshi couldn't even move her head to look at her queen. The truth was that Serenity did not want to see the betrayed look on Setsuna's face and that was why she was holding the Guardian immobile. Rei gave her a similar look before; it broke her heart.

"I will never make you so shamed…" The Queen's voice was barely a whisper, but in the stillness of the time portals, it was loud. "You will be made to forget, Eternal One. A life free from solitude, one that will allow you to have what you have been denied since the beginning of your oath as Guardian of the Outer Lands."

"I do not desire to forget! My life is to serve you! To protect you, and fulfil Queen Selene's decree that I be the Keeper of the Time Key!" The raven haired warrior fought against the invisible force that held her but try as she might she could not break it.

The queen watched her struggle before speaking again. "Then, yes. For my Queen Mother's power was weak, though she was Goddess of the Silver Land." Serenity came forward and extended her right hand. "T'is different now. My powers are strong enough to render all the protection around me as unnecessary. Why should the others be given peace and normalcy while you suffer a job that I can now take over?" Another movement of her hand, this time beckoning.

Setsuna felt the time glaive slipping from her grasp and she gasped in hopelessness. "I wish this life. This duty _is_ my life."

The queen frowned, exasperated now. Setsuna's stubbornness was getting to her. And this was rare, for nowadays, nothing wore the Queen's patience thin. "You, lie, dear one. Even before the great battle, you had longed for a semblance of normality. I give it to you now and gladly. Your burden is now mine to bear."

Sailor Pluto tried to shake her head and when she couldn't, she started to cry.

Serenity has had enough. "It is not an asking that I came here for. Sailor Pluto, as the last remaining Guardian of the Lunar Court, I order you to relieve your duty as Keeper of the Time Portals." There was imperial power behind Serenity's voice. Setsuna could no more disobey it than she could consciously wish the woman before her harm.

Setsuna decided to grasp straws. "What of the King?"

A gasp escaped the royal lips. Tears came from the very depths of the silver blue eyes, and Serenity's hand trembled from where it was raised in request for the key. "That," the Queen rasped, "was a low blow."

Pluto was bitter enough not to care that she hurt her. '_I wished she never knew what power she had to bear. That it was just the Crystal_…' Also hope blossomed inside her heart. She knew it would be the King who could change Serenity's mind. Only he had that much power to sway Serenity's decisions. It was a scary position, to be true, but the King was, and always would be, Serenity's weakness. In any guise, the love they shared was a true source of power - and despair.

She did try to reach him, but when she tried to leave the Time Gate, she found it was locked and nothing she did opened any of the doors. Serenity planned everything flawlessly. Since when did Serenity become so calculating?

But the king! If she could make Serenity realize what she was doing would also mean losing the king, then may be there was a chance still to turn everything back.

The queen's next words dashed that hope soon enough. "I want to grant him freedom. I have caused so much pain to him. If he never knew me, he would be content and safe."

"Content!? Safe? You would leave him simply content and safe? What of his feelings? He loves you! He will love only you!"

"It is the lesser of evil," was the Queen's sad reply. It sounded like she wanted to say more, but thought better of it.

Setsuna knew the time was up. The choice was made, and nothing she could say or do would change the choice. The last she remembered was Queen Serenity enveloping her in a fierce hug from behind. In it, warmth so encompassing was passed through her being. All the Hope in the Universe was in that simple gesture. No words were needed. That embrace said it all: _'__I love you, my dear friend. Be happy. I wish you happiness.__'_

Then came the darkness…

* * *

"Trista!" She was shaken roughly and she yawned before opening blearily one eye. All she could see was a vague shape. The feel of coarse cotton made her want to scratch her skin. Wasn't it just moments ago that she was wearing a beautiful gown made of silk and ermine? And wasn't she holding a staff that looked like a really big key? She opened her other eye and the world focused. Her mother's face hovered before her. She blinked in confusion.

Her mother rolled her eyes before yanking the girl gently. "Up, sleepy head, your da needs food, and he'll be wondering why we leave him to hunger so."

The inn keeper's daughter giggled when her mother tried to tickle her so she'd wake up completely. "Maman, I had such a lovely dream!" She stood up at last and started helping with the sheets. There was color on her cheeks and a giddy light in her dark eyes. Even her mother was charmed by her good mood.

"Oh, really? And this dream was the reason why you were so sound asleep?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Well? What was it about then?"

The question made Trista stop moving, readying herself to tell a full blown account. Then a baffled expression came to her face, and her mother watched worriedly. Was her daughter touched in the head? Lately the girl has been acting so strange. Just yesterday she spoke to the miller's son like a highborn lady would, adressing one of her peasants. There was no prtensions in her actions; by all rights, Trista acted very much one of the noble born. She was about to call out Trista's name, as the girl seemed to have fallen in a trance, when Trista shook herself as if to clear her thought and gave her mother a confused look.

"Maman," Trista whispered, "I don't remember the dream. At all."

The older woman scoffed, though inside she was relieved. For a moment, it was as if she was looking at another person, someone who was not her daughter. It looked for a moment like Trista was a stranger with all knowing eyes; eyes that had watched the passage of time. "Then it let it be. Some dreams are like that, child. They come and you forget them the moment you open your eyes."

Her daughter made no remark and she continued to look troubled.

Without knowing why, Trista hugged herself tight, ignoring her mother's questioning look. She knew that in that dream she could not remember, someone hugged her. Someone important. And even when she could not fully explain it, she felt safe, knowing that a benevolent deity watched over her, protecting her and all of those who live…

* * *

**Chapter One**

**The Morgae**

* * *

The Tria Fata was grumbling inside Their mystic cavern. Thousands of candles burned against the dark interior of the place. In one end, a spindle wheel spinned diligently. The wood that it was made of was now ridden with holes. Discolorations spotted it and a dullness replaced the mahogany sheen it once sported. But for all that, the wheel moved on over and over. From it came strands of various colors, each of varying thickness. How this was so, when there was no wool or flax fed to it to make the threads was part of the mystery of the cosmos itself.

It was Clothos, the first Child of the Morgae, who held the position of Spinner. Her back was riddled with humps due to an eternity of sitting bowed down to spin the old wheel.

Lachesis, Weaver of the Loom of Life, stood at the other end of the cavern. Impatiently, She waited for Her sister Atropos to deliver the next threads She needed to weave more stories in the Canvas of the Living.

And Atropos, the one who held the Shears of Death, She who was responsible for cutting the threads, was crying and refusing to move and deliver more strands for the Loom.

Clothos looked at Her in disgust, the gray tinge of Her skin now a blotchy red as anger infused Her. The Shears Keeper was being tardy. She bent down, bones creaking and groped the floor for something to throw at the little troublemaker. When She found one, She took careful aim and threw. It hit Atropos on the head, causing the little child to yelp and start moving. But Her tears did not stop and She kept looking back to the shadows located at the left side of the cave.

There was another one inside the cavern.

She was no sister of the Fates nor was she Their kin.

But the Morgae loved her. They loved her then, They loved her now. They would love her until the very end of time, and maybe even beyond.

Clothos was the first to love her. Being the Spinner, it was She who first touched upon the silver strand of the child. Lachesis loved her next, and from Her position as Weaver, watched in amazement the intricate web that the silver thread created.

Atropos was the last to love her, though Her love was perhaps the strongest of the Three. For it was a love riddled with guilt. So many times She was asked to cut the lifeline of that silver strand.

The wind howled outside the cavern, and all three Fates raised Their heads to listen to it. They do this because sometimes the wind brought messages from afar, though more and more it really was just wind. When They realized there was no hidden message, They returned to their task in silence.

Until Lachesis spoke. "You realize, silver one, that the Loom is in shambles, with what you have done…"

"And the Threads of Destiny is not pleased, for the Child of Hope dared to have her life released…" Atropos whispered in a child's breathless tone. She nimbly ducked another stone being thrown at Her, and even stuck Her tongue out at Her sister. When Clothos tried again, She simply jumped out of reach. Mid leap, Her child form elongated and became the body of a teen, the stands of Her blue hair turning black. It was longer than the silver one's own tresses, and it floated about Her form, acting as her cloak for She was naked.

Clothos, for once not taking notice of the spinning wheel, gave Her sister a disgusted look before turning Her faded gaze towards their visitor. "Time holds no power to thee, but child listen well to our company. Hope is great, and binds with Faith, but Love will never be denied, Love always finds its mate…"

Serenity rose from her position on the floor. There was a boneless grace about her. But though she stood proud and tall, it was obvious she carried a great burden. She acknowledged not the words of the sisters as she moved out of the shadows. Walking towards the Loom she stopped when she was a few feet away; a safe distance, she was afraid that being near it may cause the Loom to unravel and become the tapestry of old.

"He is happy, isn't he, Lachesis?" she asked.

Lachesis strung a new thread before replying. "Endymion is content like you planned he should." A baleful look before the Fata continued. "For did you not make him forget all that you could?"

Serenity frowned at the tone. "It was needed. I had to wipe all their memories. Even his." She glared at Lachesis, willing Her to understand. "Otherwise, they might seek to locate me, or hope to communicate. Without memories of me," at this Serenity moved nearer, despite her misgivings, to touch a strand she knew belonged to a child with strawberry blond hair. "They will live happily. With out any need to fight or be locked in a position that would require them sacrifice."

No answer from Lachesis, save for Her hands waving, as if whisking Serenity's reasons like it was a cloud of troublesome gnats. Serenity was not capable of reading the Loom, only She and Her sisters have that power. But Serenity could see all was amiss from her lonely vantage point, and that was why she came to Them. When the poor child begged for an explanation, the Fata as one told her this was Destiny as she saw fit to happen.

No matter how much Serenity told them otherwise, the Morgae would not budge. She may not have planned what was happening, she may have wished otherwise, but this Loom was the reality now. And It shall continue to weave Itself according to Destiny's prerogative.

Clothos frowned at Her sister's actions and thought of a way to make Serenity smile. The silver one was always crying of late. Thinking of a topic, She eagerly turned to the woman and said, "Your sweet daughter, she grows as her mother bids."

Atropos wiped a lone tear. Her hair followed her movements, and it looked as if she was wearing a gown with billowing sleeves of black silk. "Would that it was you who provides her quiet needs…"

Serenity shrugged, forcing to look unconcerned. She choose this life, she refused to regret it. Little Rini was given to a woman who loved her as much as Serenity did. She made sure of this: Lachesis, faced with the Light of Hope's silent plea, gave in and weaved a thread whose kindness outshone many of the other strands. This strand was chosen to become Rini's mother in the new Loom.

And in becoming Rini's mother, she was also given the title of Queen and Endymion's wife. It was almost Serenity's undoing the first time she came face to face with what she was giving up.

Atropos sighed at Serenity's gesture. Such an obstinate girl. It truly was troublesome. Then She turned to start cutting another thread, and saw it. In shock, the Morgae stood up, only to stay rooted on the spot, as She watched incredulously a thread, crimson in color and one that did not come from the sacred wheel, but from thin air, moved towards the Loom and towards the girl.

Serenity, in her melancholy mood, was answering her heart's desire. She moved her pale hand and touched briefly a golden thread inside the Loom. Her eyes were closed, savouring this brief contact with him, so she was not aware of what was happening.

It was Lachesis' gasps that brought her out of her reverie. Her silvery blue eyes widened when she saw her hands covered with blood red strings. She saw that the strings were connecting themselves with the golden strand as well. Soon, her whole arm was covered, a few moved by their own volition and was tangled in her silver hair. The strands were trying to cover her from head to foot.

The Light of Hope felt no fear though. The red strings were like a lover's touch. Each strand that touched her was love itself, asserting his rights and making her acknowledged what she knew was no longer hers. When a string dared to touch her lips, tears came to her eyes.

Memories, of a life she had wiped from the Loom came to her. Endymion's laughter, the feel of his touch to her face when she gave birth to their daughter, and even his displeasure when her eight friends took her away from the royal chamber just when they were about to make love, it all came at once, overlapping each other.

Memories of another time.

One that no longer existed, because she destroyed it, believing it was it was for the best.

Atropos saw Serenity's pain. And though She knew what the red strings meant, She felt protective of Serenity. With a grace honed from eternity of wielding the Shears of Death, She cut at the base of the red web.

Serenity moved back in haste. She watched half in horror, half in regret as the red strings vanished the moment it was cut. A few, having lost the connection with the gold thread, tried to reach the woman with the silver hair. But a wave of her hand caused them to drift away before they too disappeared.

All four of them stayed silent after that, too afraid to comment about what took place inside the chamber.

Time passed by, and only when the silence became overbearing did Serenity dared to speak again. "What happened? Why would love bind me to a man who has no memory of me? Endymion- I made sure he does not know, not even an inkling that I ever existed…"

Clothos glanced at her sisters, watched them nod as reply to the question in Her gaze, and only then answered Serenity's question. She spoke slowly so that the woman would understand fully the implications of what She was about to say. She hoped, by saying this, that the Loom would resettle itself, and return back into the tapestry that Serenity asked to be unweaved. There was still chance. The appearance of the red strands was proof of that.

But time was running out, and Serenity must See before it became too late.

Her eyes became black, and She glowed; she looked lit from within. Her hair, what little there was thickened and the grey color turned a lovely shade of deep red. Her face, gaunt and skeletal, slowly became youthful. The two Fata stood silently watching the transformation, Atropos unconcerned when Her ebony hair took the shade of red that was now Clothos's hair colour.

"The Morgae, Us, are Destiny's child.

We hear Her biddings, and We obey what We are told.

Oh, precious child, Keeper of Hope,

because of your selfless heart, you defied Destiny's call

just as it was in the time of the gods and the titans,

when the Loom had a life of its own, and We,

mere spectators to the lives of men.

Hope is great, it was whispered.

The best of all the gifts

for fair Pandora.

Now listen.

Love is greater.

And no binds can hold it.

Not even Hope's gentle wings…"

Serenity's lovely face hardened. She looked straight in the eye of the oldest of the Fates. The eyes of the Sisters of Destiny were completely black, as if only the pupils existed. It was a deep, unfathomable darkness, dotted by stars that twinkled and some wayward comets that spun and blinked out, following an axis of its own; it was cosmos contained inside three pairs of eyes. They were eyes of seers, of oracles, and of prophecy speakers.

"I do not regret my life. What was given to me, I had no choice. I never asked for it. Still it is my lot and I must live with it. But they are victims of my acquaintance. Because of me, they suffered countless trials, even death. Countless death." She turned away. Those eyes were too all knowing. "Without me to protect, they now have a chance for normal life." She raised trembling hands to her lips where the lone red strand had kissed it. "I do not regret…"

Lachesis, busy in Her weaving and making sure the strands She spooled into the canvas would create the images She knew it must make, snorted as answer.

Serenity turned towards Atropos. The Fata in turn, took pity of the lost Queen. Dropping Her mystic shears, She moved quietly and gave the silver one an embrace. It did not last long, for Atropos was not used to touching anyone. As She ended the embrace, She petted Serenity's cheek, Her form no longer that of a child, but one of a young woman, slightly older than Serenity herself. "Our words, Serenity, you must try to understand. Failure to do so…," She seemed to falter at what She was going to say next, but Clothos, now a child of three went to Her and clung to Her legs, despairing that Serenity would not listen to Her divination. It gave the Morgae the reason to finish Her sentence. "…would mean destruction of the Crystal land."

Serenity refused to listen. She had grown proud in her solituted. "You cannot scare me. I know my choice was right." With quiet dignity, the forgotten Queen of Neo Crystal Tokyo moved out of the chambers of the Morgae. Her destination was the mystic moon of Terra. In its barren land, she made her home.

From there, hidden away by clouds and the distance of space, she watched over her friends, her daughter, her people…

From there, her love, the King Endymion, was watched with a broken heart.

Every night, her illusions held. And he, the victim of Hope's Destiny, go to sleep with a woman who was not Serenity, never knowing, never remembering, the life that was taken from him by the woman who once occupied his dreams.

But Love, Him whose strings had felt the phantom call when Serenity and the golden thread was momentarily connected, felt angered and cheated.

The Morgae's word was true. Love would not be denied.

Not even by Hope.

* * *

**The Crystal Land**

* * *

They were together in the banquet hall. Both just finished the evening meal and was now drinking wine as was custom. In silence, they contemplated each other. One liked was she saw while the other merely accepted and was content.

The King of the Crystal Land was not an easy man to love. He was remote and frequently cold. His time, precious to him, was guarded and meager to strangers. What was hidden was hard to reach. And when one reached it, one was met with icy reserve.

But Endymion was a man capable of passionate rage as well. This passion was shattering in its intensity. And no one was capable of being the object of his desire. Not even his wife.

Lean, handsome, and stern, Endymion was the very image of aristocracy. He was dressed, always, in the darkest of colors. His black trousers, the knee high boots with its polished sheen, the white lawn shirts with its simple cravats, these were his staple wear. He had the deepest, bluest eyes anyone has ever seen. It was described as the color of cobalt, hidden in the shadows. It suited him, for there always seemed to be something dark lurking in his cold eyes. He also have the darkest hair. It complimented his black scowl. With his muscular physique, he towered over most men.

And there was his arrogance, always held in check. It made others appear lesser, duller. Weaker…

The Queen was not unattractive. She herself possessed an arresting countenance. Her features were handsome instead of beautiful and there was a graveness about her demeanour, not calming, but subduing. With her auburn hair, and her brown eyes, the woman who held the tiara of queen, was learned of all the arts and aware of all the statecraft. Educated since birth, being the daughter of a duke, she knew how to comport herself perfectly in every occasion. She was most elegant. The perfect lady, people whispered.

That hurt, for the whispers were never about her being the perfect queen.

When she had mentioned it to Endymion, he merely looked at her in distaste, and then told her it was not necessary to listen to worthless rubbish.

She sometimes despaired her King's indifference. His affection for her was doled out in small quantities. But she loved him with all that her mortal heart could give. A part of her knew and accepted that he would never love her the way she wanted to be loved. And while she resented that she would never be his first concern, or even second, Yllianna knew that she would always be protected by him. She must accept what he could give, lest he gave no more.

With a start, the great doors opened, and a young woman with strawberry blond hair bustled in. Endymion's eyes widened just a bit, before life flickered in it and a warm smile occupied the cruel lines of his lips.

There was only one person in the Crystal Palace that could make the King look happy. It was his daughter, the Princess Riana. The precious child, now in her fourteenth year was as different from her parents as night was to day. Where they were somber, Rianna was gay. Where they were quiet and contemplative, Rianna was loud and impulsive. Where they were grave in matters of life, the princess was simply in love with life.

Sometimes, rumours abounded that the child was not the King's. There was so much about her that was so different from her parents. Except the King does love her. It shone in his eyes, the way not even the queen could evoke.

She came to them now, bowing low, first to her father and then to her mother. Rini, as she was called by those close to her, was her father's child. In her eyes, pale lavender that appeared pinkish due to the colors of her dresses, the man who ruled all of Earth could never do wrong.

Though she loved her mother, she always felt a certain reserve when near the Queen. She felt threatened, and uncertain in how to act. Guilty of such emotions, it was to her mother that she spoke first.

"My Queen Mother, I greet you. The night is beautiful, and I seek your company. Let us gaze together at the lunar orb."

Yllianna raised a thin eyebrow, and stared at her daughter for the briefest of seconds. Then she closed her eyes, took a goblet from the table and drank from it delicately, before she shook her head. Then she opened her eyes and looked at her husband. She knew what would happen next, because it was always like this. "Ask your father, Princess." she said.

Endymion did not need to hear the question. He moved out of his chair and offered his hand to his daughter in an exaggerated manner. Rini moved and accepted his gallantry, her giggles loud. She was thrilled to be treated with such aplomb. With a bow to the silent woman at the other end of the great table, father and daughter raced off into the night, their steps light and their hearts lighter. Neither could fully explain, why in nights such as these, when the moon loomed in her full form, both of them felt as if a gentle hand caressed them in silent love.

They ran to the secluded area of the garden. Away from prying eyes, Rianna let her laughter out, spinning in circles, pleased that she had her father and the moon all to herself.

Endymion, suddenly at peace, lay down on the dew kissed grass. His blue eyes stared at the silver moon, and he felt a stirring deep within him.

How many nights had he stared at the satellite of his Kingdom? For months, when a deep unease took over him, it was the moon that he turned to. It calmed him in a way not even his daughter's presence could. If he could, he would have dragged the moon nearer, closer to Earth, so he could gaze at it fully, fill his eyes with its different phases.

He knew he was wary all the time. Distrustful to his wife's presence. But this was because when he tried to recollect moments in his life when he and the Queen was not jaded or proper or content, but simply happy and in love he always came blank.

Oh, he recalled memories. He remembered how they met, how he courted Yllianna, and how he was happy in the wedding. He remembered feeling proud at the sight of her dressed in white. He remembered the tenderest of touch, and the fiercest of embrace.

But how odd that when he remembered these things, he felt nothing. It was like he was watching a stranger's life, rather than his own. This, above all, made him…_unsure_. To remember, but not to feel. It made no sense.

Because he knew what it was like to feel.

Once not so long ago, he felt it. He remembered and felt the memories.

And it happened in a dream.

He was in a party that Yllianna gave their daughter. It was a duty at most, one he looked forward to ending soon. Trying to stay awake, he leaned on the wall, to watch over the guests. That was when he felt it; a shiver in his spine. In his dream, he spun around. His eyes scanned the crowd and refused to give up when he saw no one of consequence. Somehow, he does not know how, he did saw something that caught his attention at last. She was standing behind a large pillar, her body in shadows.

It just a second or two, but it was enough. When he moved towards her, she ducked into the darkness. By the time he reached her place, she was no longer there. And try as he might, he could not find her.

Two seconds of sight. That was all it took. In that brief moment, he remembered the world around him suddenly much more beautiful than normal. The laughter was not irritating, but like music, accompanying natures own sounds. The light of the sun turned every color sharp and vibrant. And he had felt incredible joy.

Endymion, trapped in his cold world, had never felt such joy. After that night, dreams about him and Yllianna came over and over. It was as if someone was forcing him to relive his life as the husband of a woman who could not make him feel. It almost worked, except when the dreams came and he woke up from them in the middle of the night he would look at the moon, and try to remember that two seconds.

"Father, what are your thoughts?" Rini asked. She was hesitant to break the quiet but she was disturbed with her father's sad smile.

Endymion looked at his little girl, and felt soft warmth in his heart. This child was so precious to him. "I am contemplating the moon, Princess."

Rini looked at it and dimpled. "It is very beautiful. Do you think, Papa, that anyone live there?" She dropped down to her father's side, arranging her skirts primly around her. "Some stories said there used to be people living there…"

The king's laugh, so rarely heard these days, echoed throughout the garden. "No, my little lady, no one can live there. For all its beauty. It is dead, barren."

"But there are times, papa, I feel someone lives there."

"The man in the moon, you mean? Or is it because of the legend of the moon rabbit?" His tone was teasing. It amused him how serious his daughter was about their topic.

"No," Rini whispered. "A lovely lady, with silvery blonde hair."

Endymion frowned. He felt a tug in his heart. And briefly, his vision was clouded by a shadowed figure, hiding behind a pillar. "And is she beautiful?" he asked softly.

"I-I don't know, Papa. But I think, if I did – if I did, I would see her, that she would be perfect."

"A moon goddess then." Even the thought of it, the possibility of such a person existing made his heart ache with longing. It was one of his guarded secret; the Coat of Arms of the kingdom shows the silhouette of a woman with the full moon behind her. It was changed into that by Endymion when he ascended the throne. Even as a child, he'd always taken a fancy with the stories about the goddess of Luna.

"What was her name again, Papa? The one who fell in love with the shepherd and lost her immortal soul?"

"Selene," His eyes were turned to the sky, and the sad smile Rianna first noted was now wistful. "Others call her Hecate."

Rini to look up and traced the outline of the moon with her fingers, making phantom lines in the air. "I do not like Hecate for a moon goddess. I like Selene best, Papa…"

"I, too, Small Lady, like the other name better."

The princess gave her father a hug for being so agreeable then moved away quickly, self conscious with her actions. She was to be a young woman soon, and she feared that her father might treat her as one, for she always wanted to be his small lady. "Or maybe, even…Serenity."

Dark brows rose in surprise. The tugging in his heart was getting stronger. With a scowl, he turned to the palace, and then to his now worried daughter. "It is time to go, princess."

"Yes, Papa." Rini opened her mouth to ask if she said something wrong, but decided against speaking. She doesn't know how she knew, but her father was suddenly very sad, and very lonely.

"Small Lady?"

"Yes, papa?"

"Serenity is a lovely name."

* * *

'_Serenity is a lovely name.__'_

The winds howled. It was deafening, dangerous. For the words they speak was igniting the fires inside the goddess's heart. Chaos, He that was defeated nearly two millenniums ago, leaped at the pain and rejoiced.

Something was overcoming Serenity's warm shine.

Serenity stumbled from her underground chamber. She clutched at her chest, on the spot where she could feel her heartbeat strongest, hoping it would still its restless beating. In confusion, she ran to the blackness of the night; outside the beautiful planet of Earth dominated the sky. When she caught sight of it, she stopped running, eyes wide and fearful.

Almost instantly, she knew it was the wrong move to go outside. The winds that howled to her no longer sounded like that of a mocking stranger. It was a now a soft accusing whisper. It sounded like his voice: Endymion's voice.

"No!" The woman screamed in agony. She placed her two hands over her ears, hoping the gesture would block out the sound. She even closed her eyes to block out the image of Earth. The blue of the planet reminded her of his eyes. "How could you remember? I tried so hard for you to forget."

The winds merely howled back, over and over, until they it seemed they were chanting. In his voice…in his sad voice.

She crumbled to the grey sands of the moon. Her body was shaking as tremors of pain racked her. She felt her soul was being torn into two and she wished for death. Death would be better than to hear the accusation in his voice.

Her shouts of denial cut into the night and soon drowned out any other sounds. Her soul, she felt like it was lashing her inside her body, punishing her for his absence, and her shrieks of pain corresponded with every strike. She knew, as surely as one who lived again and again only to overcome the fire of trials, that she, the once lovely queen was slowly hating herself.

Inside her, the small portion of Chaos, drank greedily the poison thoughts of her soul.

The poison was powerful. It was a potion stirred by centuries of memories that she and Endymion shared. Memories only she remembered. Memories only love remembered.

And love, when turned dark, was the bitterest form of hate…

The winds howled louder. But the wail she cried, one wrenched from her soul, was louder.

_'Endymion, thou art my greatest desire… and my deepest despair.'_


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

**A Fated Reunion**

* * *

The chamber she was in was awash in light. Silver brocade, heavy with embroidery and beadwork hung from hooks and framed the tall windows, letting a little of the sunlight. It was enough. For the crystal walls reflected light along its shimmering surface, penetrating to the inside. It created shifting patterns, a gorgeous display of color and shine.

Through out the halls music drifted, alien, but pleasant all at the same time. Unexpected bells punctuated the beat and a sound of a flute created an unearthly element to the composition. Mage lights interrupted the endless lengths of the walls, each in their particular niches. It illuminated those parts that the sunlight could not reach. Soft breezes, one created with magic, danced around the whole castle, rustling the curtains and sometimes, with unexpected burst, mischievously lifting an inch or so the hemlines of the gowns worn by the imperial ladies.

Outside, the view was breath taking. A lake, large and vast skirted the left flank of the castle. It fell in the form of a stepped waterfall and eventually pooled into smaller man made ponds. Fountains of nymphs, also made with crystals, dotted the blue surface. White swans intermixed with their black cousins, swimming lazily amid the fountains delicate sprays and drifted past the lotus leaves and flowers that floated on the water's surface.

To the right was a large plaza that eventually led to a more compact grouping of houses and shops. This sector formed a semi circle on the eastern southern side of the palace. Mage lights were also activated here, but instead of placed on poles, they hung suspended on thin air, occasionally dancing in the breeze. Crystal paved roads snaked throughout the village.

Flowers of all colors skirted the perimeter of the infrastructures. They were planted on little plots of soil all throughout the entire kingdom. To those who would see Crystal Tokyo for the first time, it would be hard to make a comparison on what dazzled them the most: The shimmering crystal paved houses and roads or the vast abundance of gardens that dotted the sprawling metropolis.

Certainly, the Palace was with out competition in beauty.

Serenity, inside the chamber where she just woke up, took it all in and started trembling.

The beautiful woman did not remember coming to Earth. All she remembered was when her heart started clenching painfully a few nights ago, she forced the Light of Hope away from her, willing it to look for a new carrier. But the Light did not leave her at all, seeming to even dig deep within her being, refusing to be budge.

The goddess did not understood why this was so. Galaxia, she fully recalled, did the same thing when she chose to seal Chaos inside of her and let the Light leave her being. It traveled the universe, looking for another vessel. Then it found Tsukino Usagi.

The same girl, but changed now by the years and the trials of duty, stood on shaking limbs, her head held in her right hand. She tried to recollect if the Light left Galaxia at its own accord or if the great warrior willed it the way she tried to do herself. Hot tears came to her eyes, and she sniffled once, a sad image of the child she used to be.

'_It makes no sense_…' Serenity thought. '_Why would the Light refuse to leave me? I can feel Chaos already growing strong. Shouldn't the Light be repulsed by that?_' The silver one swayed on her feet, too tired to stand and fell down to the floor with a cry.

She looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings and her body stiffened as she realized just exactly where she was.

It was a thousand years ago since she was last in this room. The smell of old books, the paper emitting an acidic whiff, lingered in the air, perfuming the room. Something sweet was laced in it; the odor of the red wine that the owner of the chamber habitually drank.

On the south wall, a large desk made of ebony was situated. Its surface was without clutter, saved for a few paperwork tidily placed in one corner.

On the other three walls were floor to ceiling book cases filled with ancient manuscripts and forgotten tomes. Some books, newer than the others, were bounded in black leather and intricate clasps and placed at a child's height. Serenity did not need to look to know these books would have stories of fairy tales in them. She herself, in a forgotten time, placed it there for Rini's convenience.

It was the wall behind the desk that her gaze lingered on. She was crying as she did so.

The portrait of the Royal Family held place of honor on that wall. Bordered by heavy curtains, it was the focal point of the room.

The goddess turned her head just so, to gaze at each of the individuals in that painting. The look in her eyes was intent. She chose the child first, because her heart wanted to see what became of the half Lunarian princess.

Strawberry blonde hair curling in abundance and held by small barrettes framed a face closely resembling her own. The young girl in the portrait was holding a silvery white cat.

'_Artemis!'_ thought Serenity, almost once again brought to tears at the mention of the name. But it could not be Artemis, for she made it that he was released his animal form in a forgotten past. She blinked them away and tried to stay in control.

The girl's smile was bright and beautifully captured on canvas. Rianna was tall, and gangly. Serenity smiled at this. Rini inherited her father's height, but she was blessed with her mother's fine bone structure.

Briefly, the Keeper of Hope glanced at the face of the woman who was chosen as her replacement. After a cursory look, she eagerly continued her inspection, all attention now on the male at the very center of the portrait.

She looked longingly at the image of Endymion. _'He had not changed,_' she thought but changed it after a few seconds. The artist, wanting to stay true, captured the stern lines of the king's mouth and dutifully painted it on the comely face of the king. There was grimness in his visage that was foreign to the moon child. The man she remembered was not this mocking stranger. His graveness was oppressive. It almost overwhelmed his daughter's laughing beauty.

She did not want to see anymore. She refused to believe that her decision was the one that destroyed the laughter in Endymion's blue eyes.

She turned around, her gossamer wings creating little ripples of air. Sparks flew about her, outlining her wings, and so intent was she in trying to cast the image of a sad Endymion from her memory that she did not notice her wings disappearing. When she willed herself to leave, to fly away back to her lunar home, it was only then that she realized she was wingless.

Frowning, she looked deep within her, and saw that she was in a weakened state. This made no sense to her. With her Crystal and her Light, she should have been able to transport effortlessly. This draining was new and terrifying. The fact that she awoke in the room without any recollection of how she got there was terrifying.

It was horrible, horrible, so horrible, this feeling of not knowing. A haze came over her, and somehow her younger self emerged, trembling with fear and uncertainty. The regal forgotten queen, the quiet, that strong courageous woman of battles past, was momentarily reduced to a frightened child.

'_What caused this?'_ Serenity made an effort to pull herself together. It would not do to break down, now that Chaos was awakened. Something was different with her old nemesis. It was not the Chaos that Galaxia wielded. This Chaos was only a small part, the one that lived in her.

It should have been easy to beat. A child's laughter could break it.

But she sensed that there was another force now that merged itself with Chaos.

This force, Serenity knew, was the real enemy. If only she knew who or what it was. A clue was all she needed to destroy it. Her hands clenched involuntarily and a sword appeared in her hand.

'_Is it me?_' She thought quietly. _'Am I the new enemy? Have I turned into what Galaxia was?_' Her silvery blonde hair shook as she made gestures of denial. '_No! I know myself. What I did, I gladly allowed. And this Chaos in me is but a little flame. It cannot control me.'_

Her feet moved toward the large window of the chamber. The waiting was the worst part. Every minute seemed to stretch out intolerably and still the answer would not come. Serenity pooled what little power she had left and searched the universe for a new menace. There was none, no matter how deeply she searched. With a resolution in her eyes, she turned inward, searching deep in her soul, allowing herself to be judged by her own self.

'_There'_, she thought, '_Chaos! But I am right, it is weak. As in every one who lives, there is Chaos. Is this why the Light of Hope has not left? Because nothing in me is cause for alarm?'_

Dazed, the moon maiden staggered to a chaise that was at the farthest area of the chamber. She needed rest. Her mind told her she must look deeper and fast, lest the owner of this room walk in and see her.

Reclining, she forced her body and soul to open up its secret. There was no outside force. None that deserved her immediate attention. The enemy was in her, this was made clear. And what ever it was, the great shine of Hope was not afraid of it, nor distrustful. A contradiction that may cause the universe its death.

Her power probed deeper, and then…it was revealed.

A pulsing string, blood red, and weaving in and out of Chaos. It was similar to the thread that appeared from the golden strand that was in the Loom of Life. The red string was weaving itself to Chaos, caressing it. And it did not stop there. Serenity gasped as she saw her soul, her shining light, being held captive by this thin strand. She almost stopped in fear but she knew this was her responsibility. She must protect the people whose lives she held. With trepidation she followed the string that looped out of her soul and saw it was connected to someone else.

Crying, the goddess opened her eyes and stared at the opening of the chamber. The little red string was there, and it was connected to someone.

King Endymion stood proud and tall, his shadow falling upon the delicate woman on his daughter's favorite chaise.

'_No,'_ she almost screamed out in fury. '_Don't look at me!'_ But she was too overcome to even speak, much less breathe.

* * *

"It has started, my dear sisters," whispered Lachesis. Her hands She placed back to Her sides, now that it was no longer needed to weave the Loom. "The judging has come upon the sinners."

Atropos wailed before She even heard the end of the sentence and for once Clothos did not rebuke Her. The Spinner patted the little one's back, trying to give comfort before She grimly asked a question to the Weaver. "Is there really nothing we could do? Break the curse by killing a few?"

"Yes!" cried Atropos, scampering away from Clothos and flinging Herself to Lachesis. Her shears She held before Her eagerly, ready to kill, ready to end a mortal life. Anything, just as long as it could buy more time for Serenity. "A few souls delivered to Hades, surely would not be considered amiss. What if they were those that the Keres needed? Perh-"

"Perhaps you desire too much your own deathbed." The rebuke came from Lachesis, and Atropos cowered away from Her sister's angry face. The Fates never quarreled before; this was the first time They ever clashed about a matter. Her next words she said woodenly. "Our hands are tied, you know this true. There is nothing that the Fata can do."

Clothos bowed her and started spinning again. Her sister was right. What was about to happen was out of Their hands. "Love," she murmured, her hands touching the soul strands caressingly. "is the enemy of fairest Serenity. It does not answer, after all, to the call of Destiny." She thought of the soul bound love that spanned three lifetimes. The same love that defied death's final say, over and over again. The same love that even in forget remembered what was no longer supposed to exist.

It binds Serenity to Endymion still. Not even the Light of Hope could destroy it.

Atropos sniffed, reverting to the body of a six year old, and unlike Her two sisters who were once again doing Their allotted jobs, She instead lay down on the cold ground and began sucking Her thumb. The Other two let Her, for They too felt like doing the same thing but knew one of them in despair was enough. Eventually, the Cutter would collect Herself and start with Her work.

For now, They allowed Her this respite.

The prophecy of the Morgae, was coming to life.

* * *

**Hope's Destiny**

* * *

"You still will not speak…" Endymion's voice was soft. The warmth of his breath on the shell of her ear caused her to shiver.

The woman before the King gave him her silent supplication, those silvery blue eyes of the goddess filling with tears. With a shake of her head, she turned aside and moved away. She kneeled with her back to the dungeon wall, her pale beauty in striking contrast against the desolate and stinking atmosphere of the dank hallways.

The King was amazed at the sadness and pain that the prisoner's action brought him. She was jailed at the lower basement of the palace, in the place where enemies who possessed magic were kept. It could not be helped. The place was not the best feature of the Crystal Kingdom, but it served its purpose well. Ancient wards and spells made this area the perfect place to put captives in.

Almost without his volition, he took a cautious step towards the silent woman.

_::Take care, precious King…Lest she destroys you…::_

For a moment, Endymion knew confusion. The words were whispered seemingly by mind speech. It was as if an entity decided to converse with his soul. And Endymion, High King of the Terra, was a man of great empathy. Taking a moment to comport himself to this 'intruder' he found it to be a friend.

His eyes filled with sadness. _::Explain, Silent One. Who is she? And what harm can she bring me?::_

_::What harm has she not brought is more the apt question. This prisoner has damage you, with out your knowing, oh, Noble One. Do not trust her. For she has the power to break your soul.::_

Serenity lifted her head and stared at the man whom she loved ten thousand years ago. Her eyes were blank of emotions, but her hands, hidden in the folds of her garments, were shaking.

When Endymion found her in the office chamber, she was too weak to even run away. Instead, she cried silently, as her lost lover came to her and his eyes told her he knew her as a stranger. It hurt so bad…

When she did not responded to his questionings, but merely trembled, his arms went around her and soothed her by slowly stroking her flushed face with his gentle touch. She raised tear filled eyes and stared at his own, wanting to see if the man she knew was truly gone.

With a shock, she saw, despite the portrait's claim, that he was still the same.

For his eyes were not cold, nor condemning. He did question her fears, but did his best to drive the confusion away. The lies and the years fell back, until she was once again a mere schoolgirl, unsure of her life, and he, the young man who became her rock.

She fell asleep with his arms embracing her. And when she woke up, she was in the dungeons.

A woman, her face that of an old friend, was casting spells on her. The look in the priestess's eyes was grim, refusing to see the confusion on Serenity's ageless face. She wore a robe filled with runes and illustrations of fire. The black hair was left unadorned, as fitting a priestess. It fell down all the way below her waist.

Another one, an acolyte, but with Adept training was assisting the purple-eyed spell caster. The acolyte's black hair was cut short and her young face bore great sadness as if she found what she was doing distasteful.

They tried to probe through Serenity's shields, but even in her weakened state, she was able to bear their onslaught. By the third day, suspicions and rumors abounded the palace, and soon the whole village knew of the pale woman who continuously defied the probing of the priestess Rheiya.

It was an unthinkable task, for the Adept was an accomplished magician and oracle. There never was a case of anyone strong enough to thwart her truth spells. Until now. Until Serenity.

It was in the fourth day, when their frustration due to Serenity's silence and defiance made the King come personally to witness the questioning.

Soon, controlling spells were being bombarded on her weak body, making her gasps in pain. At the sound, the King Endymion halted Rheiya's incantations, and ordered the acolyte Hotaro to see to the silver haired woman.

The girl's movement were fast and happy. For the past days, since laying her eyes on the new prisoner, she was uneasy and begun to dream of a girl with golden hair and a warm, brilliant shine. A part of her resented her mistress and teacher for the pain that was being inflicted on the mysterious woman. Her heart felt leaden, burdened by the knowledge that she could not be of assistance to the prisoner in any way.

With soft hands, she raised a cup of clear water to the woman's lips, urging her to drink.

The woman stared at her, and a half smile formed on the pale lips. Despite the grimy appearance, and the tangles on the long hair, the woman's beauty was obvious. And Hotaro was a child who believed great beauty to be a source of wonder.

"Mistress," the acolyte said, her voice breaking the silent. "You are…fair." She blushed as her words left her.

Serenity's eyes grew luminous. A tear escaped, and the half smile became dazzling.

The mage Rheiya felt a flicker of annoyance at her young charge, and almost reprimanded the girl, but her senses took note of a power surge to her right and to this she locked into, apprehensive at what caused the change.

What greeted her, no words could describe.

The king's face was twisted into a cruel parody of his handsome visage. Yet he also looked very sad. His hands clenched his scabbard until the knuckles were white. And from him, from the very bottom of his soul, came the greatest of hate.

In surprise, the mage raised her hands in protection. Unconsciously, she cast against the power of the King.

Hotaru saw and felt the instant hate emanating from His Majesty. Like Rheiya, she called a warding spell, both to protect herself and the frail woman besides her. It almost wasn't enough for the King emitted a power blast that shook the very foundation of the palace and almost flayed the skin form her bones.

Rheiya, nearest the attack, fell down, her body battered and bleeding. All her powers, all the shields she placed on herself was stripped by that explosion; all of the Adept's energy was now focused to simply staying alive.

Hotaru, still young to have created such a ward fainted. A few wounds and some bruising was all that she had on her young form. But her mind and body was exhausted by what happened.

Endymion, shocked to the very core of his being, raised haggard eyes. He could not explain the hate and despair that he felt when he saw the prisoner's smile. He could not understand, for since at first sight, he felt a tender feeling for her, a need to protect the woman with the pale eyes and the pale hair.

He watched, aghast, as she moved slowly under the acolyte's weight. Despite her weakened state, despite the control spells and coercive spells that was weaved on her, she remained, unscratched.

With a snarl, he went to Serenity, unmindful of the dying body of the high priestess and the unconscious form of young Hotaru. His fingers were digging in the soft flesh of her arm; he took note of the weariness and the exhaustion of the prisoner and decided he did not care.

"Who are you?" Endymion shouted to her face. "What mischief do you bring to my kingdom?"

When the woman did not answer, he shook her, refusing to submit to her silence. His heart he guarded. He refused also to feel anything. He was afraid to feel. Why, he did not know.

"I will ask you again, and you have better answer," Endymion spat to her face. His voice was menacing. "What is your name?"

Serenity closed her eyes, knowing she lost. Hate was now in Endymion's heart. She could feel it, sense it. The red string that binds them was slowly feeding the Chaos inside her, and feeding the Chaos in his. The love they shared was now tainted. It was an enemy to which she was powerless.

Opening her eyes, she looked at the King. "My name, King of Terra, is Serenity. And I – I am dead, as surely as my love must now be dead to me…"

With those words, she collapsed in tears, her sobbing filling the tombs, and disrupting the silence of the dungeons.

Endymion, a man incapable of feeling, felt he was dying, too, as the sound of her crying overcame him. His grip on her arm tightened, causing Serenity to cry out in pain, before he threw her away from him in disgust, and left without a backward glance. He did not even bother to help Rheiya or Hotaro.

He simply needed to get away from the woman.

* * *

**Hope's Destiny**

* * *

"It's not the bloody adepts I'm afraid of," she confided in a chatty voice. "It's the spiders. This stupid dungeon is crawlin' with 'em. Snakes, too. Ah, 'ell…I wish I hadn't remembered that!"

She shivered dramatically, her thin arms hugging her slight body. Anne Meina Eliezier peered at the surrounding gloom, hoping to see the woman's reaction to her words.

The woman in the shadows did not seem to hear her and with a huff, Meina decided enough was enough. The two of them were the only ones in this floor of the dungeons and she'd gone to great lengths just to be there. The least that the mysterious prisoner could do was acknowledge her existence. Grinning wildly, Meina promised herself that by the end of the day the woman would be happily chatting with her. _'Or I,'_ thought Meina, '_would die trying.'_

"Psst! Hey, luv…You aren't deaf or nothin' , right?" Meina called out loudly.

There was no reply.

"Well. Uhm…What do you say 'bout our accommodations, huh? At least they don't have us shackled," Meina continued. "But them spells…You gotta admit, them spells pack an awful lot o' wallop. Pow! Just like that." She paused, hoping this new topic would interest her silent company.

When the silence continued, Meina frowned, trying to think of ways to make the woman talk. Incredible, but she was already at her most bubbly self and it was still not enough to strike a conversation. In despair at last, she skipped to the front of her cell, hoping being nearer the woman would help her get a closer look.

Meina was not aware that Serenity's eyes were on her. The Light of Hope was studying the new comer in quiet, hoping that by not answering the woman, Meina would finally cease trying to befriend her. But Serenity knew that would not happen. Two thousand years passed, and the young woman who used to be Sailor Venus in a forgotten time still have the refreshing attitude of a person who believed good things were always coming.

It was an attitude that Serenity herself used to share with the woman. An attitude she still posses. But unlike Meina, Serenity's view was not because of blind faith. Serenity knew good things would always happen because she was the one who made sure nothing would destroy the peace of the Universe. A responsibility that now weighed heavily on her more so than before.

The two stared at each other. Meina wanted so badly to talk to the woman before her, Serenity merely wanted a chance to hold her once friend. In her heart, she wanted forgiveness for what she knew Minako claimed to took unjustly.

It was the more bubbly of the women who talked first after a long span of silence. "When I 'eard of you…I felt the need to see you, you know? It's weird. Had to go an' do a whole lot of mess. But here I am, an' there you are. An' you aren't talkin'." Meina said in a light tone. Her freckled nose was squelched in the spaces of the bars.

Serenity decided to let go of her reserve at last. Meina's last comment caused her to be curious enough to want to know. "What did you do to get here then?"

It was spoken so softly, so quietly, that Meina almost believed it to be a figment of her imagination. Looking hard at the woman, she saw no change in the position of the body. Nothing to indicate that the woman was finally talking to her. Still, Meina felt a giddy sense of accomplishment.

"Been whorin' for quite some time now, is what. Have me a mage gift. Nothin' big, but I make good use of it, luv. Modified myself, you know, to be more sexually attractive like. For my trade." She confided happily. Serenity found it surprising how proud the woman sounded of her accomplishment.

The once queen licked her dry lips. "But you did not answer what I asked…"

Meina blinked owlishly at the other prisoner. What was she talking about? Then it dawned on her and her eyes grew wide. "Sorry, luv. Bit of a scatter brain, is what I am. Well, thin' is, I'm awful curious 'bout things. So when I hear 'bout this new prisoner in the mage dungeons…Figured I'd a go seein' who it is. Just curious like, you know?"

Serenity nodded indicating she understood. The truth of the matter was, she really didn't.

Meina, peering at the darkness saw Serenity nodding and continued. "Well, I sort of seduced some high official. But I made sure the stupid cow who calls her his wife saw us." She sighed sadly, theatrically, even if her eyes were shining. She so loved it when she was telling a great story. She liked it more because she was playing center stage in the tale. "So there we were, a humpin' away, and wouldn't you know it, we got caught! Before I figure what happened, been dumped here like a sack of last month's turnips." She gave a throaty giggle. "Just like I planned, really! Sometimes, those stuck up windbags are too easy."

"You…sound very happy to be in here." Serenity commented.

"Ah, luv, we got to talkin', right?" Meina said happily. "This was what I was after, when I planned to get caught."

Serenity shook her head, amused despite herself. '_The minx seem to be enjoying herself_,' the goddess thought. "That made no sense. To go to that trouble just so you could talk to a stranger."

Meina snorted her agreement. "Don't I know it! But, well, somethin' in me just said I just gotta, you know?" Her hands fluffed her blonde hair, making sure that the beautiful red ribbon was intact on her coiffed head. "There are rumors 'bout you, you know. In the village, in the harbour. Everywhere, in fact."

"Are you happy?"

Meina stared at the woman. _'Well, that was unexpected_.' she thought. "Why ask that?"

"Are you?"

"Well, what's not to be happy' bout?" Meina said, still curious about the random question. Her blue eyes held no secrets as she tried to answer. "Can't complain, you know? I do me best to look at the bright side, luv, coz I figure it aint so grand being in the dark side of things."

The two stayed silent after that. Meina knew that her answer was being weighed heavily by the young woman in the other cell. A part of her wanted to relate the hardship that her life had taken at an early age, how she was raped by her stepfather and later by her step brothers, and how one night she had driven a knife in the bastards' hearts. Meina almost shuddered, but reminded herself they were dead now. She run away from home right after that and started pimping herself in one of the more lavish houses of pleasures at the outskirts of the city.

Due to her mage gift, she lived a long life. Long enough to start saving a good amount of money. Money that in time gave her the chance to live in splendour without the benefit of a dandy to dole out a monthly allowances. Come this year, Meina would now be a thousand and seven hundred eighty years old.

Because she was one of the veterans of the many lady of pleasures in the city, her patrons dubbed her as The Lady of Love. It was a title that Meina was very proud of. For it was always said with reverence now a days, due to the legends of her exploits. She didn't mind. Better to be loved by many than enslaved by one had always been her motto. And really, there was something about the title that just tickled her fancy. Fit her, she always thought.

It wasn't the most ideal, but Meina wasn't lying when she said she didn't mind. She had freedom that most of the female in the kingdom did not have. She wanted none of the stilted protocol that ruled the public, the respectable life that everyone strived to perfect. It would choke her.

Make her a prisoner even when she was free.

At least as a courtesan, which was what the nobility labeled her, she had access to the palace grounds with out needing to simper and blush and act like an innocent when all she really wanted was to have a good time. And as a whore, which the more righteous called her, Meina had the option of saying they could stick their protocols and lady like behavior up their asses.

The best of both worlds, as far was the woman was concerned.

It irritated her that the woman might judge her and when she spoke again, it sounded defensive. "What 'bout you, luv? Are you happy?"

Serenity almost started laughing at the ridiculousness of the question. Yet she was also humbled by her friend's resilience. Sensing the other's hurt, she answered quickly the young woman. "I wasn't very happy before. But because of you, I think I just might smile, even if for a while."

The courtesan grinned, glad at the answer. "That's the spirit, luv. Now I know why I needed to come here. It's so you can have a friend."

"And so we are now."

"Yeah…"

Serenity quietly stood up and came nearer the other prisoner. Her white gown was now grey, and her silver hair was covered in soot and dust. She has stayed in the castle for nearly two months now, and no food was given save for an occasional scrap. Her body, used to no nourishment, was nevertheless starved. The energy she used to take from the Silver Crystal was cut off from her by Chaos, and the Light was weakened now a days.

But despite her skeletal frame, there was no denying that Serenity was still a beautiful woman. And Meina, a woman who relied on her beauty to earn a living was awestruck by her new friend's face.

"By the goddess, you're a bloody queen!" she exclaimed at the sight of Serenity.

The goddess shook her head sadly, and gave Meina a tentative smile. "I am afraid I am not a queen. For if I was, I wouldn't be here." She shrugged, wanting to show a light-hearted façade. "My name, by the way, is Serenity."

Meina nodded, still awestruck. "You look like a Serenity. You are awfully quiet, luv. I almost believed you to be deaf."

Serenity laughed. But it was cut off abruptly, for laughing caused her to hold her a sudden bout of headache. She sat down on the floor. A memory of Mina and her running in the streets of Japan, late for school, both with a toast in their mouths came to her. Still in pain, but with lightness in her heart that she had not felt for a while, she gave Meina a soft smile full of regret. "I am very glad you are here…."

These memories were now hers alone. When the Tria Fata erased them from the Great Loom, Serenity made sure they would never be summoned again. No more remembering, no more taking chances of waking up memories that was best left unlived.

Softly, because she could not help it, Serenity repeated her last words. "I am truly glad you are here..." '…_Minako_…' her heart added.

And Meina, pleased that the young woman now trusted her, offered her name as well. "I am Meina," she said, her voice full of friendship. "And worry not, luv, coz I promise you we will get out of this stinking spider infested stink hole." With those words, she gave a saucy wink, earning her another happy smile from Serenity.

The two women spent the rest of the day grinning from ear to ear and slowly getting to know each other. Serenity kept her answers vague and short, but her new friend did not mind so much. The courtesan knew a time shall come when Serenity would tell her past willingly.

Something about her, thought Meina, made her want to protect the woman from any more harm.


End file.
